To All Who Wander Beneath The Starry Skies
by Lightflame The Warrior
Summary: The 10th Anniversary of Warriors is today. This is just a little something to celebrate it.


To All Who Wander Beneath The Starry Skies

There were two once, who were everything and nothing, all-powerful yet unable to touch the earth on which they thread. There was a broken tom who rode the winds of time, watching over and over as the ones he had sworn to protect led themselves to despair and destruction. As they brought themselves to ruin, so did he himself fall, believing that the dark paths that had been laid out could never be cast off. There was a fading badger, who was a guide to all those that sought aide. Yet, she brought darkness into the realm of those who she held dear. Her destiny forced her to send all she met onwards, walking towards an unknown destination.

Once there was a tom with fire in his heart. He spent his days living in luxury, but his boundless spirit could not by contained. The wasted days slipped by until he followed a fleeting dream, arriving in a land where the stars shone bright. He learned of love and anguish, had times of laughter and times of tears, walked alongside his friends and followed paths of solitude, and was met with both scorn and admiration. Although he traveled along a winding road, his pure heart never wavered, and his boundless loyalty to all things never died. And so it was that all he met took up the courage within his heart. His compassion, honesty, and undying loyalty to all those near and far spread like wildfire, forming bonds that would never break.

Once there was a tom whose amber gaze brought forth the memories of a tiger, tearing through the forest. Although his heart was true, he was left an outcast, struggling to prove that he was not the heir to his father's darkness. His journey took him to the highest peak and to the deepest abyss, but his comrades stood by his side, but the journey within himself stretched on for eternity. He watched as his home faded, and he fought shadows who shared his blood. However, he found sanctuary with young she-cat full of flames. Together, they brought about a new world, one where that which they cherished could last forever. Finally, he found someone who could pierce the looming shadows and find the light within.

Once there was a she-cat who inherited fire from her father and storms from her mother. Although she walked her own path, she was seen as a mere reflection of her father's legacy, something to follow a path already tread many times. Her destination was chosen before her journey even began. But among these expectant gazes, she found a kindred spirit, a tom who could shatter the mirror clinging to her pelt. Together, they found the world's light, and shared it with the ones who lived under the starry skies. However, her long path led to sacrifice, and she lost all she had held dear. As she clawed desperately at the darkness, the lights she had helped to cultivate illuminated a shining silver path, upon which her beloved waited. She raced across it, and their hearts resonated, sending down a glorious shower of stars.

Once there was a she-cat who sought to shield her comrades, healing their wounds and soothing their hearts. As she became their guardian and saviour, her soul yearned to wander free, unhindered by the chains which wrapped around her. Through her powerful bounds, she felt love within another. Despite the hole within her own heart, she never felt envy, and gave only the most sincere of smiles. Then, a tom whose heart was also cracked reached out to her on the night of a storm. The rain poured down, as they joined in unbreakable love. Although they were separated, and knew anger and animosity, their bond still lived. As they watched their kits grow, they knew that no storm could ever destroy the seeds they had planted so long ago. Their love was true, and they would never regret the time when they had walked side by side. Sleep must end one day, but it's okay to dream a little longer.

Once there was a tom who sought a destiny. His greatest fear was being unimportant and unnoticed, dying a meaningless death and quickly being forgotten. Although blind, he could find truth where no other cat saw anything. With this power, he discovered secrets long buried and reawakened bonds that slumbered. Although he was betrayed and despised by many, he reached into his heart and found forgiveness for all those who had spited him. Through this forgiveness, he was able to call forth things long forgotten, and awaken the hearts of warriors lost to time. As he struggled to control his own destiny, he understood love, and was able to find peace within himself. He did not fear death, for when he died he would be forever united with the one he loved. Yet, while he still lived, he could fight for his Clanmates, and all those who lived in fear. He promised to protect those who could not protect themselves.

Once there was a she-cat who believed that order and laws were absolute, while the world fell neatly into groups of "good" and "bad". As she lived, she strove for justice among all her comrades, trusting in her ability to bring peace. But, as she traveled the world, she witnessed many lives untouched by the code she followed, and came to see worlds beyond her own limits. Then, under a breaking storm, she learned the truth about herself, a truth that could not be forgiven. With soul and self stained by a river of blood, she fled to the earth, fading as a forgotten warrior. Holding herself within a prison, she found kinship with a tom who was confined to the deeps, cursed to never find his stars. Wrenched free from the earth, she found a homecoming as an outcast, but could never forgive herself for her own sins. As she struggled onward she fell, sacrificing herself for a Clanmate's life. In this, she could find true peace. Her heart freed, she would watch from the stars, becoming like the warrior code and guiding the Clans forever.

Once there was a tom who held unlimited potential, and could not fall in battle. Beyond the claws which sought blood, he held a gentle heart which longed for peaceful times. As he fought for those who raised him, he found love blossoming within his heart. But his destiny drew him onward, beyond the path of love. As he learned the nature of the world, he sheathed his claws and began to feel doubt, hating the destruction he brought wherever he went. But as a flower blossoms, his love became his power. Rather than a sword, he could be a shield. He would protect those he cherished from harm, his immense power guarding them as they grew old together. He found love. Together, they would always fight side by side.

Once there was a she-cat who was thrust into a destiny she did not want. Although her powers were a tool to see the world, she held them close. Within her heart, there lay unrivaled love for each and every cat who lived, and all the cats who had joined the stars or the darkness that mirrored them. She watched over them, eager to protect them, even as the bonds she cherished began to wane. As despair overcame her, she reached out to replenish what she had lost. With her closest friend by her side, there was nothing she could not do. As she saw into the heart of the darkness, she understood the truth. The powers she had gained were not weapons, meant to win some glorious war. They were gifts of the light, meant to bring unity and peace to the groups who fought even now. As the shadows approached, she dived into the light, pulling it down to the Clans. Together they could unite and grow strong, bound together by bounds forged at the dawn of time.

Once there was a she-cat who stood in the shadows, always being overlooked. Her envy pushed her into a dream, one which quickly became a nightmare. As she placed peaces that would form a bridge, used by the darkness to capture the light, the voices of those she had lost echoed within. She broke free from her nightmares and her jealousy, awakening as a hero would hold the world's fate at her paws. Walking the gap between sleep and waking, she saw the darkness call to others. They would take up the vengeful crusade held by these fragments of a nightmare, bringing ruin to the world below. But as the light had prevailed within her own heart, she could reach out to the light within the hearts of her fellows. They had lived under the stars, and no darkness could ever hold their loyalty. She freed them and surged forward, rescuing them from strife. The world could change, but she held on to it, knowing that with her friends by her side, she could never fall.

Once, darkness broke from its prison and threatened to strangle the light. A dark tom with the ferocity of a tiger. A broken tom who brought others to be as shattered as himself. The heir to the darkness, who sent forth a river of blood. An idle tom, who watched as those he trained fought and died. A scorned she-cat, seeking pull all cats into the torrent of her vengeance. A rejected tom, trying the shatter the world to prove its worthlessness. A storm-cloud, tempted into a nightmare by the envy within his blood. These cats called forth an army of dark warriors, whose very touch reshaped the land, reforging it into the nightmarish world where they had trained.

But as darkness rose towards the stars, so did the light. The courageous warriors who lived and died for their way of life fought with their hearts and their claws, pushing the shadows back to where they came. It was a long battle, one of sacrifice and shattered dreams. But within the all-consuming darkness, hope survived. For wherever there remained a spark of hope, no darkness could ever conquer the light, no shadows could ever touch the stars. And so, the cats with fire in their hearts gave their strength and their lives to bring peace to those who remained. The light will always prevail, a heart of justice will always conquer evil.

The sun rose, bringing about the dawn of a new day. As the survivors looked to the sky, they saw the future which stretched before them, leading to infinity. Above them, two watched. A tom and a badger, ones who had seen the fate of all things so very long ago, in a flash of fire that was the beginning of the world. Within their paws, all cats held the power of the stars, that which had brought about this new world. And despite themselves, joy blossomed within the two. The world had died and been born anew, for the Clans to reach the peace they had long sought. The final prophecy completed, the two departed for a starry plain beyond which any cat could see. To those who were left below, they delivered a single message.

"Those all those near and far, who wander beneath these starry skies. We can give you only our thanks. This world is yours, as it always was, and always will be."

The harmony which they had sought for so long would never be shattered. And the heroes who had brought them the future would never be forgotten, as long as there were still those who called themselves warriors.

Onwards to eternity.


End file.
